


All We Do Is Run

by s_the_queen



Category: Glee, Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Friendship, Non-Graphic Violence, Pezberry, Puckleberry, Secret Relationship, Werewolf Mates, Werewolves, Wolf Pack
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-13
Updated: 2017-01-15
Packaged: 2018-05-26 11:11:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6236359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/s_the_queen/pseuds/s_the_queen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Puck came crashing into the choir room and started whisper shouting at Rachel, the Gleeks weren't worried. Rachel was annoying and Puck was a dick. Fighting was in their blood, right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Until Puck stormed into the choir room, it had been a pretty normal start to Glee rehearsal. Finn and Quinn were canoodling in the back; Kurt, Mercedes and Tina were gossiping front and center; Brittany and Santana were idly chatting by the piano; Mike Chang and Matt Rutherford were running choreography and Rachel was demurely folded into a seat in the second row reviewing her sheet music. And then Puck stormed in, eyes wild, furious and almost immediately locked on Rachel.

When he started whisper-shouting at her, they weren't concerned. Rachel was annoying and Puck was a dick at least 92% of the time. Fighting should be a natural state for them. In fact, they were surprised that the two of them didn't explode at each other on a daily basis. Especially considering her constant flaming battles with Santana. They were surprised, however, when Rachel rolled her eyes, pursed her lips and stood. She dragged Puck bodily from the room, his voice raising with every step they took towards the door. Mike and Matt paused their dancing to watch them exit before turning their eyes to Santana. She shrugged and turned back to her conversation with Brittany. 

When the door finally closed behind them, they started yelling in earnest. The only words they could actually discern were emphasized swear words. If anyone had been paying attention to anything other than the closed-door explosion, they would have noticed Mike's statue-stillness and Matt's rage-contorted face. They would have noticed Santana's ear turned towards the door as her conversation with Brittany stuttered on. But they were distracted by the fact that _Rachel Berry_ had opted to move a loud and dramatic argument as far away from prying ears as possible. It seemed out of character. Then, as suddenly as the argument had started, Rachel practically yanked the door open, eyes cast upwards in irritation and strode back to her seat.

"Hey! Don't fucking ignore me, I'm not fucking around!"

"Good thing I don't give a fuck, Puckerman. Mind your own business!" She snarled, whipping around to face him.

"You can't keep ignoring it, Berry. It's gonna bite you in the ass."

"I can handle my shit! Would you fuck off?!"

"Guys!" Mr. Schuester made his appearance (finally). "Knock it off! And Rachel, I'm surprised to hear that kind of language from you, I don't want to hear it again."

"If it's good enough for Fuckerman than it's good enough for me."

"Rachel!"

"Whatever." She snapped at Mr. Shue. But when she turned to Puck, she snarled. "Back the fuck off. If you want to talk about it, we'll do it later. But do not bring this shit up in  _public_ _!_ It's not your place."

Puck glowered, but straightened stiffly and took a step back. "We're not done." He pushed past her, mumbling "eyes" as he walked by. It took her a moment, but she shut her eyes tight a moment later, taking a deep breath. She turned slowly and practically stomped back to her seat, eyes fixed on Puck. 

Santana leaned down from her seat to whisper in Rachel's ear. "What was he talking about?"

"What did I say about eavesdropping?" Rachel sighed. "We'll  _all_ talk about it later, alright?"

"Hmm." Santana made a dissatisfied noise in the back of her throat and leaned back. 

"Matt, Mike, take your seats, please." Shue said, rifling through sheet music. "This week's lesson is to sing about who you are. We do a lot of stuff about how we feel and what we want, but not who we are." Rachel fought the urge to roll her eyes with all the inner strength she could muster. 

"So basically you couldn't figure out a legitimate lesson for this week." She heard Matt mutter from somewhere to her left. She choked down a cackle. It was true--Mr. Schuester's lessons had been becoming repetitive and asinine. "I'd much rather hear more about that argument." Her face dropped back into a scowl and she choked back a growl. 

"Since you're both nosy asshats, I'm going to assume you already heard what I said to Tana. We'll talk about it later." She whispered as calmly and quietly as possible. She shot a glare at Puck, who just smirked at her--happy he was getting his way. "And for the record,  _Noah_ , when we get home I'm going to murder you."

As Schuester droned on (and on and on and on) about the purpose and importance of the assignment, Rachel got more and more irritated. Partially because Mr. Schuester was being ridiculously unoriginal, but mostly because there were four  _idiots_ in the room who seemed to be working  ** _extra hard_** to make sure that everyone knew that they were practically family. And that  **pissed. Her. Off.**  

She had spent a lot of time, energy, tears and humiliation to make sure that Noah, Mike, Matt and Santana never had to put up with the McKinley High bully-ring. She had long accepted that she would be an outcast, but had been completely insistent that they not be outcast by association. They didn't need to suffer for her single-mindedness. They could be family outside of the prying and judgemental gaze of their peers--they didn't need Lima's opinions on their relationship. In fact, as werewolves, they really couldn't afford it. Their little pack needed to stay as far under the radar as possible. 

As soon as Schue dismissed them, Puck had grabbed her by the arm and hauled her out of her seat. They were out the door before most of them had even thought about moving. Santana, Matt and Mike were quick to follow. They finally caught up to them as Noah bodily lifted Rachel into his truck. "Yo caveman! Wait up!" Santana called. 

"What was that about dude?" Mike asked as Rachel elbowed Puck in the stomach.

"Not here Mike. Noah, put me down or so help me. I drove to school today, I'm not leaving my car here. I'll meet you guys at the apartment. I promise I won't run from the Beta inquisition of 2010." She snapped. 

Puck put her down reluctantly and she was striding to her car before he could get a word in. He sighed.  _She's gonna rip me a new one._

Mike, successfully interpreting his expression, smirked. "You started a pack argument in public. She's gonna put your balls in a blender man."

"Fuck off, Chang." He snarled, hopping in his truck. 

Still smirking, he turned to the remaining two. "Wanna catch a ride with me?"


	2. The Pack

If anyone had followed them, they would have been thrown for a loop. They would have assumed that Puck would go to his house and Rachel would go to hers and then immediately dash off to some afternoon class. Mike would drop Santana off at her place and then take Matt back to his place to play video games. But no. 

Puck pulled his truck into a small apartment structure, shortly followed by Mike's yellow XTerra. They waited in the lot for Rachel to arrive--Noah angrily, Mike patiently, Matt nervously and Santana excitedly. They weren't disappointed. As soon as she was out of her car, she grabbed Puck by the collar and dragged him up three flights of stairs to apartment 4D. "Open the door, Noah." She growled. He furiously jammed his key in the lock on their apartment door. 

The five teenagers lived together. Sure--they spent a lot of time with their respective families, but given their natures their parents had agreed that getting their kids an apartment would be safer and less stressful for all parties involved. Having teenage werewolves living with regular people amidst hormones, stress and full moons was dangerous and exhausting even at the best of times so for the sakes of everyone involved, they had stuffed the pack into a three bedroom apartment as soon as they had turned 13. (Of course, their parents still loved them and checked up on them constantly--and made sure they were eating healthy because teenage boys did not have the discipline to eat their vegetables on a regular basis). 

When Puck finally got the door open, she pushed him inside roughly. The remaining three followed dutifully. Santana went straight to the kitchen to make popcorn for the show. 

"Alright Noah. Let's have it." 

"What the fuck Rachel." 

"You said that already."

"You have to let us  _do_ something about it! This isn't fucking okay anymore! I get that you want to ' _protect us from the harsh reality of diminished social status_ ' or whatever bullcrap you keep feeding us, but this is getting fucking ridiculous! This has moved from fucking slushies and bitchy nicknames to fucking dangerous threats and sexual harassment!"

"Rewind, Puck." Santana called from the kitchen. "We didn't hear the whole argument, what happened?  _Sexual Harassment_?" She came out with popcorn and a furious scowl on her face. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I caught the tail end of the hockey team's daily burn today. Except it wasn't a daily burn, it was more like a really fucked up mass threat." 

"You're being dramatic. Jacob Ben-Israel has said  _so_ much worse."

"Yeah, but he doesn't have the guns to back it up!"

"None of them do! Noah, if they tried  _anything_ , I would  **rip them apart** before they managed to get their pants off."

"Pinzer put his  _hand under your skirt!_ "

A growl ripped out of Matt's chest. "Excuse me?"

"It was disgusting. They were crowded around her locker, she was drenched in probably 12 slushies and they were talking about how embarrassing it was that her tits looked good when she was doused in frozen ice and how she probably got turned on by the humiliation. That she encouraged them by pretending it didn't affect her so that she could get her kicks. That she's a little freak and she'd probably be a freak in bed, too. I told them to fuck off and then she gave me her 'you're not supposed to be talking to me in public' look and stormed off."

"Rach..." Santana bit out. 

"Drop it Santana. I'm saying that as Alpha. Drop it. I know what being  _me_ means at McKinley. It's something I've made peace with and will deal with accordingly. I don't want you four dragged along with me."

" **What about what we want?!"** Noah roared. "Have you stopped to think for a second about what this does to us? Seeing our Alpha--our  _best friend_ and for  _some of us_ , the  **love of our lives** constantly humiliated and harassed?" He paused--unsure of how to continue. 

"It scares us." Mike murmured, coming forward to clutch at her hand. "You have  _forbidden_ us from protecting you, sometimes from even _talking_ to you, but you are so important to us."

"Get the fuck out. Go get dinner guys." Santana abruptly insisted. They moved to protest, but Santana's stare didn't leave much room for argument. "It's time for girl talk."

"We need to discuss this as a pack, San." Matt tried.

"You're not discussing this as a pack, though. You're discussing this as three guys trying to be knights in shining armor to a pack alpha who wants to be a knight in shining armor herself. It's not practical, it's not getting anything done, and all three of you already know she's put her foot down about the love and dating thing and this definitely won't change her mind. Right now, you're being no help at all." She snapped. Puck grimaced but turned to the door. 

"We'll pick up dinner for you two on our way back. Rach do you want vegan or wolf-food?"

"Wolf-food. Thanks Noah."

He grunted in response and swept out of the door, Matt and Mike following begrudgingly. When the door closed behind them, Santana turned to Rachel with purpose. 

"I'm gonna lay it out for you, B. As your best friend and second, I'm going to lay everything--and I mean  _everything_ \--out for you, and things are going to change because we're fucking  _tired_ B." Rachel gestured for her to continue. "We understand why you insisted on the no contact rule. We love you for it. We are so honored that you were willing to take one for the team, but you don't need to do that anymore. Because we're finally kinda on the same team, and so a quick step from point A to point B won't hurt any of us. Yeah, maybe the guys will be slushied, but they've been slushied before and it doesn't matter to them. Or me, but no one will slushie a Cheerios uniform because they're too afraid of Sue. The point is we're in Glee now. And we didn't even join to be near you, per your request. Puck joined for Quinn and the baby, I joined for Quinn going after Finn, and Matt and Mike joined because Finn and Puck asked them to. So now we're on the same team and you still won't let us talk to you, and that sucks. It hurts and we miss you all the time. We want to talk to you because you get us and you love us. You love us and you  _love us_ but you won't let us talk to you or touch you or--in some cases--kiss you and we are constantly miserable because you being in pain and separated from us kills us. So you may be Alpha, but on Monday we're going to break all your rules. I'm going to make sure Pinzer is expelled for touching you without your permission. Puck is going to rip apart the hockey team. Matt is going to slash their tires. And then they're going to come home and fuck you into the floor while I go to Britt's for my sweet lady kisses. And then we're going to go on a nice long pack run at midnight."

"It would be selfish of me keep all three of them to myself. They deserve to have someone love and belong to them completely."

"No, they deserve to be loved by someone who loves them back. And the whole monogamy-normalcy thing is bullshit when you consider the fact that we're  _werewolves_ and we  _live together_. You love them right?" Santana didn't even wait for Rachel to nod before continuing. "And they love you. And you're pushing them away to make them happy and they're making themselves miserable to keep you happy. It's stupid and painful and it's been fucking with the pack dynamic." She sighed. "You don't even have to act on it now. Just...think about it. Really think about it and watch how miserable they are. The being-your-friends-in-public thing is non negotiable though."

"Santana..."

"I love you and respect you. You're my alpha and my best friend. Fuck, you're practically my sister. So as your  _sister_ and your  _second_ , I'm going to defy the fuck out of your orders and kick some neanderthal ass when I get to school on Monday. Even if it means that you'll kick you out of the pack.  **Because I _love you._** " She stared at Rachel hard. "Is that sinking into your thick head yet? I'm not just going to do what you want. I'm going to do what you need because  _I love you._ "

Rachel looked like she was about to cry. "Tana..."

"Don't you fucking cry, B. Not allowed. I'm not telling you anything you don't fucking know already, so don't you fucking cry. And by the way, I've filled my quota for touchy feely crap for the next ten years, so don't you go around getting mad at me for being a bitch."

Rachel nodded mutely. "Movie?"

"Yeah sure. I already made popcorn."


	3. Dinner and a Movie

The boys trudged back into the apartment when Rachel and Santana had reached the middle of the Avengers. Puck wordlessly handed Rachel her food and stalked into the room he shared with Matt and Mike, slamming the door behind him. Mike sighed and handed Santana her food, climbing onto the couch between the two girls. Matt took his shirt off and shifted. His wolf form wasn't huge--He was lithe and black and fluffy. He stretched before he jumped onto their laps (almost upsetting the popcorn) and laid across them like a living blanket.

"Dude, when's the last time you showered?" Mike whined, wrinkling his nose. Matt growled low in his throat before turning his attention to the TV.

They sat in silence for a few moments before Rachel spoke up. "Is Noah alright?"

"No." Mike answered shortly. "And until you let us help you, he won't be. None of us will be."

"She agreed to be friends with us all day." Santana rolled her eyes. 

"What about..."

"That's still a no." Santana cut sharply. Mike still looked displeased, but some of the tension left his neck and shoulders.

"I'll take what I can get." He sighed. He looked over at their bedroom door. "Yo, Puck. Scarlett Johansson and Cobie Smulders on screen."

A minute later, a towering brown wolf padded out of the boys' room, eyes on Rachel. She smiled softly at him as he prowled closer and lay at their feet. "I'm sorry I worried you." She murmured to him. He licked her foot and she pulled a face. "That was disgusting." Santana snorted, scratching behind Matt's ears. 

"That's Fuckerman. Disgusting. Depraved. Deranged. Desperate." Puck bit her foot. "Dickish." Rachel giggled, and anyone observing would have seen the stress palpably melt from Mike and Puck's shoulders. "I can't believe you bit me. I'll fuck you up Puck." Puck bit her again, harder this time. "MotherPucker! Don't make me come down there!" Matt bit her this time, in the arm. "That's it." She shifted quickly and Puck was up from his position in a split second, snapping at her. The popcorn was upended on the floor as she launched herself at him. 

"Guys! I just cleaned!" Rachel cried in dismay. She reached over just in time to stop Santana's food from going flying as Matt launched himself off the couch into the fray (Mike grunted in pain as Matt's back paw caught him in the nuts). Rachel positively cackled when Mike doubled over in pain and Santana tackled Puck (who was at least twice her size) to the ground with a snarl. 

"Cheap shot!" Mike croaked. Mike and Matt, unlike Santana, Puck and Rachel, were bitten rather than born. It had happened in the 8th grade--Puck had a sleepover and his father had come home after months of being gone and he had lost control. His mother and sister weren't home, but his father had run leaving two 12 year olds alone with a werewolf. It was Rachel (who had known about Noah since she had been old enough to talk) who had pulled Matt and Mike aside at school and explained what was happening. And then insisted that they become friends so that she could take care of them. She took _really_ good care of them. She introduced them to Santana (who went to a different middle school) and showed them how to shift and made sure that they were getting the proper nutrition for regular shifts. She helped them explain the situation to their parents and she taught them how to shift on command and stay in control. Puck mostly just watched and laughed when they couldn't figure out how to put away their tails or their ears. But over the last few years they became comfortable with all of it. Matt was much more comfortable as a wolf than Mike was, however. He had just adapted better. Mike usually opted to stick to human as much as possible and mop up the blood when necessary. He had actually become extremely proficient with sutures over the past few years. He currently wondered if he'd need that skills to fix up his nuts in the next few hours. "Dude you fucking  _claw stomped_ my balls!" 

Santana had dug her teeth into Puck's tail and Matt was tackling him to the ground and he was snarling as he tried to unpin himself. Santana's tail was wagging rapidly as she tugged with all her might. Rachel guffawed through a mouthful of peppercorn steak, clapping a hand over her mouth to stop the food from spraying everywhere. Eventually Santana and Puck had Matt pinned beneath him and his tail was between his legs. "You know the rules Rutherford!" Rachel laughed. "Shift back or get creamed!"

"You don't usually laugh at violence, Rach." Mike reprimanded, handing her the raspberry sorbet he had fished out of the freezer. 

"He got too big for his britches, starting shit with Santana and going after Puck. Everyone knows that those two stick together after the initial fallout period."

"That's fair."

"Alright!" Matt called from the floor, finally shifting back. And that was the thing about shifting back--when they did, they were naked. "Alright, my dick is out, I'm naked as fuck and DAMN Puck you're  **heavy**!"

Puck moved back but Santana moved forward and sat on his chest, tail wagging happily. Puck shifted back to bark out a laugh. "Stay there San, I'm gonna put on pants and then I'm taking a picture."

"Dude no! I'm  _naked!"_

Puck grinned as he walked into the room, coming out a minute later with sweatpants slung low over his hips and his iPhone in hand. "Smile big, bro!"

" **FUCKERMAN!** "

"You know, that's getting less insulting." He commented to Rachel and Mike nonchalantly. "MotherPucker was good, though. I might get a t-shirt."

Santana shifted back, still sitting on Matt, completely naked and completely unfazed. To be fair, they were accustomed to nudity by now. "Glad you liked it. I'm copyrighting it though. Gotta pay if you want to use it."

"Nickname prostitution. Why am I not surprised?"

"You call yourself Puckzilla. You can't nickname yourself and be taken seriously. If you want to use the premium brand, you gotta pay." She smirked. "Capitalism, baby."

"San, you're hot and all, but you're kinda cuttin' my airflow." Matt wheezed.

"Don't start shit if you can't handle the way we end shit, Rutherford."

"Don't be sad, Fluffy. She'll get cold in a few minutes and go find her clothes." Rachel smirked. The only part of being a werewolf that Matt didn't particularly love is that he was  _super_ fluffy. It was adorable but of course as a  _man,_ that wasn't good enough. He wanted to be badass. Like Puck. Puck was basically a small bear. The only reason he wasn't Rachel's second was because of his libido. After fights when his testosterone was jacked, he was liable to start humping the nearest living thing with a vagina that he could reach. To be fair, Santana was likely to do the same, but Santana wasn't in love with Rachel. They were more like really disparate sisters.

"Alright, got the pic. You can get off him now, San." Puck grinned, flopping onto the couch (again, between Mike and Rachel) and pulling Rachel's legs across his lap so that her back rested against the arm of the sofa. Santana crawled onto the couch too, relegating Matt to the armchair. He was pouting. 

They watched the rest of the Avengers in virtual silence (except for Puck's comments about ScarJo's ass) and when it was over, Rachel was asleep--curled against Puck's side with her legs slung over his. He (uncharacteristically) smiled at her softly. "At least we're making some progress, right guys?" Mike nodded and Matt made a noncommittal noise. Santana stared at them sympathetically.

"You can't force it. You all know she has feelings for you. Now she has to get there." She scowled. "And get over Frankenteen. She's pretty stuck on that bullshit."

Puck's face darkened. "He treats her like crap and she just keeps coming back for more."

"If you want her to wake up and get pissed at you again, you're on the right track, Puck." Santana warned softly. "Take her to bed and then we can talk."

"Nah, I'm going to bed too." He replied gruffly. He slipped one arm around her back and another under her legs and lifted her easily. "Night guys." He muttered over his shoulder. 

 

 

 

 


	4. Uncomfortable Truths

They were met with raised eyebrows the next morning when Rachel and Santana strode through the front doors, chatting like old friends instead of old enemies. Jacob Ben-Isreal was seen following them (from a distance, to avoid Santana's wrath), taking photos of them from all angles. The day got even weirder when the two of them were joined in the cafeteria by the rest of their little pack.

"So. Have any of you put work into finding new members for Glee?" Rachel asked over her salad.

Puck raised an eyebrow. "You mean since you sent Sunshine Corazon to a crackhouse? No. No, my time and effort was spent making sure she didn't get second-hand murdered."

"We really only know Football guys. I'm pretty sure that we've tapped all of the secret song-and-dance out of the team." Matt chuckled.

"And everyone else is too afraid of Sue to step up." Santana sighed.

"I'm sure Finn..." She paused when she saw shoulders tense and jaws clench around her. "Or someone will figure something out. There has to be some secret talent hiding in a corner somewhere."

"There was. You sent it to a  _crack house_." Puck snorted. Rachel slapped him on the shoulder.

"That's not helpful."

"But for real, neither was sending someone to a crack house." Santana laughed. Rachel groaned and buried her head in her arms.

"It was a stupid moment of insecurity, and I wish I could take it back, but I can't." She mumbled. 

"Hey, Rach." Finn appeared behind her and dropped into the seat next to her. "I thought you were going to wait by your locker so we could go to lunch together."

"Well, you're here now." Santana sniped. "Intruding on a private conversation."

"San." Rachel warned. 

"Fine. Welcome to the club, Finn. We were just talking about what kind of delicate dessert your puffy, pastry like body reminded us of. Any thoughts?"

"Santana. Finn has a lovely physique, and even if he didn't he deserves your respect." Rachel snapped.

"Maybe we should just...go to a different table?" Finn asked quietly. 

"No, we should stay! It's going to be nice to bond with fellow Glee members. Besides, Santana just filled her nice quota for the last ten years, she's feeling a little off balance, that's all."

That wasn't all. Santana was still guilty for sleeping with Finn. And she was  _pissed_  that Finn was lying to Rachel about it. And, since they were fixing their dynamic, she had decided that she was going to tell Rachel. Maybe not today, but definitely this week. Or this month. Rachel could be really scary, and honestly, she didn't want to break Rachel's faith in relationships. Especially not with her three favorite guys waiting in the wings. 

"How did she fill her nice...thing?"

_How is this dude so dumb._  Mike groaned. He was torn between wanting to publicly tear Finn a literal new one and wanting to buy him a personal tutor to follow him wherever he went. 

"That's personal, Finn. But it's nothing to worry about."

"Personal? Even from me?" He asked, irritated.

"It's a girl thing." She insisted. He looked displeased. 

"Everyone has secrets, Finnocence." Santana sneered. "You probably have some too. Don't you?"

"Not important ones." He cleared his throat uncomfortably, suddenly desperate to change the subject. "Hey! That new guy on the football team is into music. We should try to get him to join Glee!"

"What new guy?" Puck frowned. 

"You haven't seen him? Blonde?  _Huge_  mouth."

Matt snorted. "No. Haven't seen that. I would have remembered that."

“Well if you think he’s good, we should recruit him.” Rachel placated.

“Well I don’t know if he’s good, but I saw him jamming out to something in his car. He was really into it.”

“He could have been jerking off to screamo.” Puck suggested. Rachel’s face crumpled in disgust.

“Please, never say something like that again.”

“Can’t help who I am, B.” He grinned, taking a bite of his (unidentifiable) lunch.

“Bring him by rehearsal, man. Maybe we can show him what it’s all about.” Mike smiled tightly at the quarterback, barely managing to stay pleasant while Finn’s arm was around his Alpha’s shoulders.

“I hope Bieste is cooler about Football players in Glee than Tanaka was.” Matt grimaced.

“Whatever. I’d give up Glee for Football in a heartbeat.” Puck insisted. Rachel smiled at him, reminded of last year, when they had given their relationship an ill-fated chance. But alas, Quinn had gotten pregnant because she was feeling insecure and Puck was feeling rejected (by Rachel), and so they made a stupid mistake, and both Puck and Rachel wanted Quinn to be properly supported.

Santana, Matt and Mike were all watching Finn expectantly, waiting for him to say something. “Yeah, I probably would to.” He uttered nervously under their scrutiny. Rachel beamed at him.

“Have you thought about what you want to sing for our duet?” Rachel asked, continuing to nibble on her salad.

“I thought you were going to decide.” He frowned. “Just pick anything from a musical.”

“Or you could carry your own gargantuan weight, and help the lady out.” Santana snapped. Rachel frowned at her in warning.

“Okay, I don’t really know what’s up with Santana, but I’m obviously not welcome.” Finn stood angrily. “I’ll see you guys in Glee. Hopefully by then, Queen Bitch will be off my case!” He snapped.

“Finn! Don’t talk to her like that, she’s your teammate!”

“And you’re my _girlfriend._ ” He yelled. “Try taking my side for once.” And he stormed out a la Rachel Berry.

“ _Drama queen._ ” Santana muttered. Rachel fixed her with a glare. “Okay, _what_? Did I say anything that wasn’t true? He keeps shit from you, he makes you do all the work, he doesn’t give anything up for you and he makes you feel shitty about yourself. You deserve better, Rach.”

“He’s good enough. He’s what I deserve.” She held her hand up to quell the protests. “I already know what you’re going to say. Mike, you have Tina. Tina is really good for you. I don’t want to mess that up. And Matt, I know you like Mercedes.”

“Placeholders, Rach. And they’re only going to get hurt because we don’t want them like we want you.”

She stood. “This is getting ridiculous. This is _not happening_. Finn is good for me. He keeps me grounded when I get too big for my britches, and he tells it to me straight because he’s too simple to do anything else. He’s honest, and it makes me better.”

“He’s _not_ honest.” Santana snarled. Before Rachel could ask what she meant, Santana grabbed her things and strode away. She had to catch up to Finn. It was time for him to do the right thing.

* * *

 

“Hudson!” Santana yelled over the din in the hallway. “Slow your roll. I need to talk to you.”

“What the hell do you want Santana?”

“You need to tell Rachel the truth. She told you the truth about Jesse, but you have been straight up lying about us. She’s my friend. I can’t lie to her.”

“Since fucking when? Yesterday you still hated her. There is nothing that could have changed your mind that fast. You’re just being a shit-stirrer.”

“No. No, I’m trying to do the right thing. Rachel is important to me, and seeing you lie to her pisses me off.”

“You’re lying to her too!”

“Because I was hoping you’d step up to your golden boy image and be a fucking man. I wanted you to tell her the whole time. That was the whole point. But you swept it under the rug and now it’s this big fat lie that she does _not_ deserve.”

“I’m not telling her. She doesn’t need to know.”

“Yes, she does. And if you don’t tell her, I will.” She yelled. “You’re horrible to her, and she doesn’t deserve it. Especially not from someone she adores. It’s bullshit that she has to be the school’s punching bag and then she just gets more of it from you. I’ve already decided to stop. It’s your fucking turn to be better. For her.”

And in her second storm out of the day, Santana twirled on her heel and stomped off down the hallway.

* * *

 

“What on earth is San so worked up about? She was fine last night.” Rachel sighed as she settled back into her seat.

“She’s been a bit on edge for a while. I think she’s just frustrated with the way people treat you.” Puck shrugged. “You know, we never really talked about how we were going to deal with the hockey team. The sexual harassment?”

“No. We didn’t. I thought we agreed that having you three stand over me like Dobermans was the way we were going to deal with this.”

“Not nearly good enough.”

“And, by the way, thanks for hiding the tidbits about Jacob Ben-Israel. We need to lock him in a dumpster and throw the dumpster off a cliff.” Matt glared. She raised a well-manicured eyebrow.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“How exactly did you get him to hold off on the story about Quinn last year?”

Rachel’s face burned. “It’s not important. If it were harmful I’d break his arm. It’s nothing.”

“What’s nothing?” Puck asked, searching Mike and Matt’s faces. “What did he do?”

“He threatened to come forward Quinn’s pregnancy story. So Rachel gave him her _underwear._ ” Matt sneered, disgusted.

“And since then, whenever Jacob has blackmail, he ‘lets’ Rachel pay him off with her unmentionables or by copping a feel. Did you think we wouldn’t find out?”

Puck had fallen silent, a dark cloud falling around his shoulders and a hateful scowl twisting his face. He was emitting rage. “Noah…I can literally smell your anger. Don’t do anything.”

“I’m pretty sure Santana gave a speech about not listening to you when its for your own good.”

“This is not one of those times. This is one of those times where you trust my judgment. Do what you want to the hockey team. But JBI is unexpectedly devious. You don’t know what will happen if you retaliate against him. I can handle him.”

All three of them opened their mouths to argue, but shot them a silencing glare. Discussion over. Insubordination just beginning.


	5. The Outsider

The day had been going so well. She had gotten lunch with the pack; she sat with Mike in Calculus, Santana in English, Matt in Physics, and Puck in History (and she made sure he took some notes _dammit_ ). But there were two periods where she was on a different floor than the rest of them. That meant two whole hours where she had no protection. So, right after AP Stats and on her way to Glee, she was surrounded by ten hockey players, ten slushies, and dozens of lewd remarks. No, threats. They were threats.

Head hung in defeat and drenched in a veritable rainbow of slushies, she headed to the girl’s locker room for a shower and her gym clothes. She just hoped that her friends hadn’t faced the same. She couldn’t help it. Her hackles were raised. She wished she had eyes in the back of her head so that she could watch for another attack. Pinzer was even more aggressive today than yesterday, but until she was really in danger, she couldn’t risk her pack, especially not in such a large group, where eyewitness accounts were plenty and credible. She could still feel him pressing her against the lockers while she was boxed in by giant Neanderthals. There was a sinister, lingering sensation where his hands had trailed up her thighs.

Her skin was numb from the cold and sticky from the sugar. Her eyes were stinging, and she was hoping hard that she wouldn’t run into Puck. Matt was quiet. He would give her a disapproving stare before leading her away to clean her up. Santana would yell a lot, then lead her away to clean her up. Mike would check her for injuries, berate her for not calling for help, and then lead her away to clean her up.

Puck? Puck would clean her up silently. He would escort her to her next obligation, berating her quietly. He would yell about the situation. And then he would literally murder the people responsible. The last thing she needed was one of her wolves in jail. Despite his obvious merits, talents and potential, he was also the most likely to perpetrate the most violent acts. She needed him, and she need him to stay stable.

She didn’t run into any of them on the way to the locker room. No one came looking for her in the showers. She still had a couple minutes to get to Glee, so she supposed no one had a reason to come looking for her yet.

She pulled on her gym clothes slowly, wishing she had thought to pack a spare set of clothes. She pulled her hair into a damp, limp ponytail and strode out of the locker room.

She paused outside the choir room, squaring her shoulders and setting her jaw. _Never show your cracks, Rachel_. But before she strode into the room, she heard the unmistakable sound of Santana lashing out.

“I didn’t say shit to her, squishy tits. She’s only a couple minutes late, she probably had to talk to a teacher or something. She cares about dumb things like school.”

“This is so typically Rachel. Gets in a fight with her boyfriend and leaves the entire club holding the bag.” Kurt whined. Rachel frowned. The only reason she ever walked out on Glee was when they were distinctly undervaluing her.

“That’s bullshit.” Puck grunted.

“No it’s not. He’s totally right. She has to get her way all the time. It’s pathological. She messed up my relationship with Finn for her own gain. She screams and shouts her way into every solo. She sent her biggest competition to a crack house. She’s a nutcase and I’m seriously tired of cow-towing to her temper tantrums.” Quinn ground out.

She didn’t want to hear any more.

“Sorry I’m late! My dress snagged on a chair during class and I had to grab my spare gym clothes.” She smiled wide.

Santana’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Really?”

“Yes. As much as I abhor being late, I really couldn’t stand for that kind of wardrobe damage. It’s completely unsalvageable.” She stared Santana down.

“A true shame. Your dresses are _so_ delightful.” Kurt smirked, sarcasm dripping from his tongue. “Especially today’s. Was it covered in whales? Or cats? No. It was reindeer. How could I have possibly forgotten? Especially with those _tights._ True fashion _gold_.”

“Shut your cock receptacle, Hummel.” Santana snapped.

“ _SAN_.” Rachel fixed her with a withering glare. “ _Forget it_. Just sit down and let's rehearse.”

“Whatever.” She grabbed Rachel’s hand and dragged her up to the back corner. The boys took their places in front of them. “Since _when_ do basic wardrobe malfunctions require a shower? I can smell your ridiculous razzmatazz pineapple fruity fuck shampoo.” She murmured.

“It was just a slushy, San.” She looked down at her boys, their ears turned ever so slightly towards them. “It’s not a big deal.” She heard a faint scraping and looked down at Puck’s hands. She smoothed her hand out on his shoulder in small soothing circles. “Noah, no claws. I’m fine. It was one slushy. Pinzer wasn’t there.” Lies. But to keep Puck out of Juvie? Worth it. “I just want to get this over with so that we can go on a nice _long_ run.”

“Why didn’t you tell them you were slushied?” Mike whispered so quietly that even using wolf-hearing Rachel had to strain to hear him.

“They don’t care. Finn would care, but the rest of them don’t give a damn.”

“They at least care about bullying.” Santana argued.

“No. Kurt bullies me right here. And no one is interested in the things that happen to me or the good things that I do. But to be fair, the bad things I do are quite memorable. I don’t really blame them.”

“You do those things for us, Rach.” Puck hissed through gritted teeth.

“Yeah, but they don’t know that.” She shrugged.

“They like Finn. Finn does shitty things all the time. So do I. So does Puck. They like us. They’re just shitty little hypocrites.” Rachel wasn’t sure how Santana had managed to master the art of snarling under her breath. But she had. She was very good at it.

“Would you just focus on the duet assignment?”

“Sure thing. Did Finn help you find a song?” Santana smirked. “Oh wait. He’s a useless, two-timing, lying sack of potatoes that was recently digested and defecated by a horse.”

“We’re going to practice ‘Somewhere’ from West Side Story tomorrow during lunch.” Rachel replied, choosing to ignore her.

“When did the assignment even change from that thing he was talking about yesterday?” Matt sighed, utterly lost.

“Do you not get his ridiculous Glee club text updates? They’re 80% inspirational messages and 20% actual Glee updates.” Rachel rolled her eyes.

“No, Rach, none of us get weird ass, creepy praise texts from Shue.” Santana sighed.

“Finn, Kurt, Mercedes and Tina do. Maybe Artie, too.”

“Rachel! Are you even listening?” Shue _hollered_. Rachel winced.

“Sorry, Mr. Shue, I was distracted.”

“You need to step up. Finn has been pulling all the weight around here,” ( _“Excuse me?”_ Santana whisper-snarled.) “And has actually managed to find a new member. Everyone, give a warm welcome to Sam Evans!”

The guy Finn had been talking about a lunch. And for once he was right. His mouth was _large._ But there was something else.

Santana’s nostrils flared and the hair on the back of Puck’s neck (i.e. the very end of his Mohawk) stood up. Matt’s shoulders tensed and Mike’s back went ramrod straight. Rachel was a combination of all four. She could _smell it on him_. Her body was reacting to him without thinking. Her claw’s were out (and digging into her palm aggressively) and her fangs were elongating. Her pupils dilating. He was a wolf, and he was in _her_ territory.

She plastered her show-smile wide across her face. “Welcome Sam. Do you have a song to share with us? It’s duet week, but there’s no way you could have known that, so anything to showcase your talent will do.”

Sam’s eyes were fixed on them, wide and fearful. Santana sprang from her seat and flounced down towards him, taking his arm in a threatening vice grip. “Maybe you’d like to come sit with us while we watch a few performances first. Just until you get how things run around here.” She smiled, baring her teeth, and dragged him to their corner.

She sat him down in her own chair and pulled up her own, effectively sandwiching him between herself and Rachel.

“I had no idea, I swear I had no idea.”

“Jesus Christ, calm down. You look like you’re going to piss yourself.” Santana snapped. Her lip curled in irritation. “At least wait for the performance to start before you talk.”

“Does anyone have anything prepared?”

“I do!” Mercedes smiled. She took her time handing sheet music to the band. “I’ve been working on a revamp of ‘Lover Man’ by Sarah Vaughn.” She smiled.

“Oh Mercedes, that sounds stunning!” Rachel gushed. The room turned to her in surprise. “What? I know a good sound when I hear it. ‘Lover Man’ is sad and soulful, and with Mercedes' voice it would just pack this punch.” She shivered. I can hear it in my _heart_ already.” She grinned.

Emboldened, Mercedes smiled wider and nodded to her accompaniment. Rachel was right, of course, and the opening notes were goosebump-raising punches to the chest.

“Damn. I actually want to listen.” Matt muttered, shooting Sam a dark look over his shoulder.

“She’s singing about you. Of course you want to listen.” Rachel replied softly. His back tensed further.

“She’s not the one I want Rachel. It’s cruel to string her along.”

“We’re not having this conversation again.” She snapped. “Sam. As much as I’d love to have a conversation about my pack and _my territory_ , this hardly seems like the right forum. Wouldn’t you agree?”

He nodded vigorously, eager to comply with anything she said. “Of course. We can talk after? Or whenever you want.”

She smiled at him, and he relaxed. Then Santana spoke: “If you so much as look at her the wrong way, I will cut you in half. Literally, I will rip you from dick to nose. They’ll have to identify you by that cargo ship you call a mouth.” And he shriveled.

“Be nice, San. He didn’t know. And we can have a nice, relaxed conversation over dinner about ground rules.”

“He’s not coming anywhere near the fucking apartment.” Puck growled.

“Weren’t you supposed to have dinner with Finn tonight?” Mike asked quietly. Rachel pursed her lips.

“I forgot.” She sighed. “He’ll understand if I reschedule. I’ll tell him my dads want me to come home.”

“Five bucks he gets pissed off and says something douche-y”. Matt deadpanned.

Rachel frowned. But she didn’t argue.


	6. Welcoming the New Kid

After Glee (and the sub-par performances that followed Mercedes’ showstopper), Santana latched onto Sam’s arm and dragged him from the room. “Santana, don’t rip the poor guy’s arm off.”

“Yeah, we don’t even know where we’re going yet.” Mike looked nervous.

“Why don’t we go to dinner and have a civil conversation. We can go to that Chinese place that looks like it’s going to collapse.” Puck suggested. Rachel nodded thoughtfully.

“I’ll meet you guys there. I have to go tell Finn that I need to cancel.” She sighed. She turned to Sam, who looked miserable and nervous. “As long as you’re not looking for trouble, you’ll be fine. I just need to protect my pack.”

He nodded and let Santana drag him to the parking lot. Rachel turned and walked back into the classroom.

“Hey Finn.” She smiled. He half-smiled back at her, clearly upset about something. “I have to cancel our dinner plans. I meant to tell you at lunch, but you got in that fight with Santana. My dads need me home to help move things around. They’re turning the spare bedroom into a study so we’re putting the extra mattress in the den.”

“Seriously? You’re just gonna cancel at the last minute?”

“I’m sorry. They didn’t leave much room for argument.”

“I’m getting kinda sick of this Rachel. You’re always canceling plans. And now you’re hanging out with Santana and Puck? You know how I feel about Puck and you don’t even like Santana.”

“I don’t always cancel plans. This is the second time. We always spend time together.” She sighed. “And Santana and Puck helped me with something and made it clear that they wanted to be my friends. I’m clearly not in any position to turn down friends.”

“Just stop! You keep making yourself out to be this pathetic person but you’re constantly pushing for popularity! No matter how it makes me feel!”

“Why does it always have to be about what you feel? Don’t my feelings count?”

“I don’t want you to be friends with them! I don’t trust them! You’re being really selfish.”

“I’m not having this argument. I just came here to tell you that I’m unavailable for dinner.” She snapped. “Have a good evening. Feel free to call me when you’re done being a self-centered jackass.”

She spun on her heel and left. Finn stared after her, fuming.

* * *

She arrived at the restaurant twenty minutes later. She had spent some time driving around and yelling to angry music. When she finally settled down, she strolled to the booth in the back of the restaurant.

“Hi.” She muttered, sliding into the booth. Puck offered her a raised eyebrow. “Fight. Did you order for me?” He nodded and pushed her veggie fried rice towards her.

“It was this or broccoli in oyster sauce.” He said apologetically.

“This is fine.”

“Sorry you fought with Finn.” Santana murmured. _Even though it was totally expected._ _Little bitch baby thinks everything is about him._

“Doesn’t matter. He’s being immature and doesn’t like the idea of me being friends with you. I told him it’s not up for negotiation.”

Santana pursed her lips. She knew he was only worried about his dirty little secret getting out. But instead of saying so, she put on a grimace and said: “It’s a new concept. Everyone thinks we hate each other. There’s going to be an adjustment period.”

“Why do people think you hate each other? You’re a pack.” Sam finally piped up.

Matt, Mike, Puck and Santana turned to fix glares on Rachel. She sighed. “I’m not popular. Never have been, never will be. I told them to act like they didn’t know or like me so that they wouldn’t get treated the way I do.”

“Never mind that we would gladly take a couple slushy facials for her if it meant that she didn’t have to deal with this shit alone.” Matt grumbled around his sweet and sour pork.

“That’s…really nice of you Rachel. Kinda unexpected.” The boys turned to Sam, faces etched in fury. “Not…not that you’re not nice! Just some of the things I’ve heard, I mean…they make you sound really…”

Rachel sighed. “Selfish and terrifying? I know. I’ve heard it.” She studied him. “We’re here to talk about you. Not me.” Sam swallowed nervously. “You obviously know our names by now. I’m the Alpha. Santana is my second. Noah, Matt and Mike are my betas.” He nodded, glancing around the table. "Your turn."

He took a slow, deep breath, and spoke softly, as though afraid to make loud noises or sudden movements. “I was part of a pack when I lived in Tennessee. My dad found a job in Lima, so we moved here. I have two siblings, Stevie and Stacy. They’re both normal. I was bitten, so the Alpha of my old pack told me everything I needed to know, but he was kinda douche-y, so we were never really close. I didn’t even tell him we were moving. Once I was a hundred or so miles away, my pack mark faded.”

A pack mark was a scar that an Alpha gave to a pack member when they swore their allegiance. Sam was rubbing his wrist, so she supposed his Alpha had placed his there. Rachel had put hers over their hearts.

“So you’re an Omega.” Rachel clarified. “No pack attachments?”

“None.”

“Well. If you ever decide you want to be a part of mine, we can have a deeper conversation about what that will mean for you and for us. But I’m assuming you just want to get over being the new kid.” Sam nodded.

“Let’s get some things clear. This is Rachel’s territory.” Puck growled. “And in Rachel’s territory, there are rules.”

“First and foremost: keep the secret. If you ever feel like it’s necessary to break that rule, you ask Rachel’s permission.” Santana stated.

“Second: you do _not_ turn people. It’s a violent and dangerous process, and it puts our lives at risk. If it happens by accident, you talk to Rachel, and she’ll sweep up your mess. But other than that, Rachel is the _only_ person who can turn people.” Mike said seriously. Sam nodded.

“Third and last: if you try to take over the territory, we will fucking kill you.” Matt growled darkly. Sam shrank back. “If you attempt to harm Rachel or _any of the other pack members_ , we will kill your family in front of you, and then kill you.”

“This is **_our_** territory. You step out of line, and we end you.” Rachel told him softly. “We don’t mean it out of spite. This is how we survive. If you do anything to jeopardize that, you’re done. Are we clear?”

Sam nodded, huge mouth in a thin white line.

“Good.” Santana smirked. “Then we’re done threatening you. If you have any questions or need advice, you can come to us.”

“That…” Sam cleared his throat. “That sounds great. I promise I’m not looking to cause any trouble.”

“Well then.” Rachel plastered on a winning smile. “Welcome to Lima, Sam Evans. And welcome to Glee.”


	7. Trouble Brewing

The next week passed somewhat uneventfully. Well, as uneventfully as Rachel’s life could be. Finn was barely talking to her, still pissed that she cancelled on him. Santana was being squirrelly, but insisted on walking her to classes and hanging out at lunch with the guys. She was slushied whenever she wasn’t in the presence of her Pack (or Sam, who seemed to have taken a liking to them and decided to be part of the Rachel-Protection Squad), but that was becoming less and less frequent.

It came to a radical halt when, on a Friday afternoon after the final bell, all hell broke loose.

Finn met Rachel by her locker, still stoic and moody but still boyfriend-like. She had just opened her locker when her ears were assaulted by the crashing of a human body against metal. Her head snapped to the source of the noise, where Puck had Pinzer by the throat, pressed hard against the lockers. Rachel could see him turning purple.

“If you touch her ever again, I’ll fucking kill you!” Puck roared.

“Hot and bothered Puckerman?” Pinzer choked out a laugh. “Does she not let you touch her the way I do? Is that why you’ve been hanging out that freaky little loser?”

“Shut the hell up you disgusting motherfucker.” He snarled.

“I bet she’s freaky in bed. You’ve made out with her before. Does Berry taste like berries?” He gasped. “Does she sing instead of moaning?”

Puck saw red, pressing the other boy into the locker as hard as he could, and rearing back his other fist for a punch. Rachel ran to him, panicking. She grabbed him by his wrist. “Noah, stop!”

He froze, still furious. “Do you know what this disgusting piece of shit was saying about you?” He growled.

“Let go of his throat. _Now_ , Noah.” She demanded. For a moment, it seemed like he was going to defy her. “ _Please._ ” She whispered. He screwed his eyes shut, reigning in his rage, and let Pinzer drop.

“Not even getting any, but she still has you pussy whipped.” He croaked. Then Rachel reared back and socked him in the eye. His head crashed against the locker from the impact. Without another word, she grabbed Puck’s hand and pulled him away.

“Rachel!” Finn called from behind her, rushing to keep up. “Hey, wait up will ya?”

She slowed marginally for him to catch up, before picking up her pace, desperate to put some space between them and the enraged hockey player.

“What the hell was that? Since when do you get violent to stand up for Puck?”

“Seriously? That’s what you’re focused on?” Puck snarled.

“What the hell else am I supposed to be focused on? If it wasn’t true she wouldn’t have gotten so upset. Are you cheating on me?”

“Are you serious? This guy has been harassing me for weeks! I’ve _told_ you about it! Puck was standing up for me and I wanted to make sure he didn’t get in trouble for it!”

“That doesn’t explain why you punched him!”

“Because he’s a miserable excuse for a human being!” She hollered, stopping and turning to face him. “Because he’s a miserable human being and I was sick of him fucking with me and I snapped!”

“That’s bullshit! You only got punched him when he was talking shit about Puck! You have feelings for him!”

“Yes! _Friendship!_ I don’t give a fuck when people insult me, it happens all the time, but my _friends_ who are _protecting me_ don’t deserve it! I _would_ do the same for you except when I tell you about the shit that happens to me, you don’t do **_ANYTHING!_** ”

“And what am I supposed to do? Punch everyone who insults you? I’d get expelled for punching _everyone in the school_ because **nobody likes you!** ”

Rachel fell silent. Then after a moment. “You’re right Finn. Nobody likes me. Except Noah, Matt, Mike and Santana. And you. I’m done with this fight. I’m not cheating on you. I would have done it for any of them. I would have done it for you. I will not _stand_ for people disrespecting my friends. Maybe the reason you’ve never seen it happen is because I’ve never had friends before. You know. Because nobody likes me.” She snapped. “I’m going to Glee.”

“Rachel, wait…”

“No. I’m done talking about this. I want to be your girlfriend. But not if you don’t trust me.”

She pulled Puck along with her as she stormed away. Finn scurried to keep up with them in silence. Outside the door to the choir room, Santana intercepted them.

“Nice right hook, Rach. JBI already posted the video on his blog. Can I borrow Hudson for a sec?” Rachel nodded curtly and pushed Puck into the room, barely sparing Finn a glance.

“So. It’s been a week, and you still haven’t told her. I meant it when I said I would tell her if you didn’t.”

“I’m not telling her shit, Santana. You’re a fucking hypocrite. It was your idea.”

“Yeah, and I recognized that it was a shitty thing for me to do, and I’m trying to fix it. As opposed to you. You just keep lying to her and putting her down. Telling her that nobody likes her? That’s emotional abuse.” She shook her head. “I’m not going to let you fuck her up anymore. She already has trust issues.”

“How did you find out about that? That was literally a minute ago.”

“JBI posted your argument on his blog, too. So on top of Berry being the loser who punches jocks and gets slushied every day, she’s now a cheater who nobody likes. You _can’t_ keep dragging her down.”

“That’s rich, coming from you.”

“I get it. I’m a bitch. I own that. But I apologized and I’m trying to make it better! You’re making it _worse!_ You’re supposed to be in her corner but you keep screwing her up! First you call her a sad clown hooker, then you call her ‘some slutty girl singer’, and don’t even get me _started_ on how you make everything about you.”

“She does that too!”

“She has dreams and makes sure she can get them. And when she ‘insults’ people? She offers legitimate criticism to make them better.” She shook her head. “You’re not getting it. Rachel deserves better than lies and insults. We get out for Christmas break on Thursday. So you have until Wednesday before I tell her.”

“Screw you.” He snapped, and he pushed her aside, making his way into the room. Santana squared her shoulders and moved to sit behind Rachel, who was seated between Puck and Matt.

Puck was examining her knuckles for injury (even though one of the benefits of werewolf-ing was super speedy healing) while she chewed him out under her breath. The entire pack—and Sam—was evesdropping.

“How could you be so careless? What would you have done if I hadn’t been there? Punched a hole through his face?”

“Yes.”

“I told you to let me handle it. That when it got serious enough I would kick his ass. You can never leave things alone.”

“Nope.”

“What would you have done if a teacher saw you? You have enough black marks on your record, you don’t need another suspension. What if you had been expelled?”

“Don’t care.”

“Noah. What would _I_ do without you if you got expelled?” Her voice trembled. He looked up from her knuckles and straight into her face.

“You’re never without me, Rach.” He smoothed his thumb over the back of his hand. “You always have me. You always have _us_.” Her lip trembled. “Geez Rach, don’t _cry_! I can’t do crying, babe. I just can’t stand to hear people talking about you like that.”

“Is everything ok?” Shue asked as he entered the room. Rachel nodded resolutely and pulled her hand out of Puck’s grip, but he still looked distressed.

“Mr. Shue, Rachel’s been getting harassed by one of the hockey players.” Mike piped up. She spun in her seat to face him, mouth ajar. “Don’t look at me like that. It’s time for adults to get involved. Handling it ourselves isn’t working.”

“Traitor.” She muttered.

“Don’t forget that creepy little Jacob Ben-Israel.” Matt added. Rachel grew red. On the outside, it might have seemed like embarrassment, but they knew it was barely concealed rage.

“She probably did something to piss them off. And she probably only told you so that she’d get attention and sympathy.”

“I swear to god, Hummel, I’m going to sew your pasty-ass lady-face shut.” Santana snarled. “She didn’t _tell_ us, we had to find out on our own. When she was late on Tuesday? It was because she was cornered outside of her last class by _fifteen_ people who all slushied her at the same time. She was late because she went to take a shower. I found out because Pinzer was gloating about ‘feeling Berry get turned on by humiliation’.”

“And I saw JBI lean over to lick her neck during math today. He said if she told anyone, he’d tell everyone about Tina’s dirty little secrets.” Matt informed them. “When I asked him _politely_ about it, he said that Rachel pays him to keep secrets by giving him things he wants.”

Shue stared at Rachel, shocked. “Like what?”

“Like when Quinn was trying to keep the pregnancy secret? Rachel gave him her underwear so he wouldn’t publish the story.” Santana sneered. Quinn looked up at Rachel in surprise, but her face was buried in her hands, her hair curtaining her face.

“She let him have her bra after the Alcohol Awareness assembly so that he wouldn’t publicly rat on us.” Puck added.

“You guys are making me out to be some unsung hero. I just don’t want the club to fall apart. It’s my only competitive extracurricular.” Rachel groaned. “Noah and Santana have come up with an amazing duet, and I’d really like to see them perform now.” Shue glanced around awkwardly, unsure of what to do. Santana rolled her eyes.  _Some authority figure._

“Since when do you try to dodge attention?” Finn asked from next to Matt. “In fact, since when do you push other people into the spotlight.”

Rachel, if possible, grew redder and sank lower. “You and I already performed this week. It’s just their turn, Finn.”

“Whatever.”

Puck and Santana cast worried glances at Rachel, but stood up and set up for their duet. “We’re going to be singing “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”. Rachel smiled softly. They had been working on it in the apartment, and it sounded amazing with Puck’s bari-tenor croon and San’s smoky alto.

As they started, Matt clutched Rachel’s hand and whispered to her. “You said that Finn knew about everything that was going on? And he didn't do anything?”

Rachel barely nodded.

“Then why are you with him?” Mike uttered miserably from behind them. She glanced at Matt’s face and found him looking back with barely contained longing.

“We love you so much.” He furrowed his brow. “But you…you keep on going to guys who are _so awful_ to you.” Rachel gripped his hand a little tighter. “I wish you would let us make you happy.”

She smiled sadly. “You do make me happy. But what if it goes wrong? What will happen to the pack?” She ran her thumb across his knuckles. “You deserve to have someone’s undivided attention. If you began to resent me for having my attention split three ways, I would be miserable. I would be devastated if we all fell apart.”

Matt fell silent, but he looked miserable. Finn was shooting him suspicious looks, because Rachel’s hand stayed tucked in his for the rest of rehearsal. Sam's eyes were darting between them, brow furrowed as though they were a particularly complicated puzzle.

“You duet was very good, guys.” Shue said, pulling Santana and Puck aside. He watched carefully as Matt, Mike and Rachel exited the room, Finn and Sam trailing behind them.

“Thanks, Mr. Shue. Rachel helped us work on it.” Puck smiled tightly.

“That’s actually who I was hoping to talk to you about. She’s been acting really out of character lately. She hasn’t been giving it her all. She’s slacking and mouthing off. I was hoping you two could talk to her.”

Santana’s mouth fell open, staring at him in disbelief. It was like he hadn't heard anything they had said. Then, she abruptly snapped it shut and stood. “You coming, Puck? I need to go for a run.” She fumed, not sparing her teacher a second glance.

“Right behind you.” He stood and followed her out the door, leaving a perplexed Mr. Shuester behind them. 


	8. Come Together

Sam hung back to wait for Santana and Puck. They looked pissed. When they finally reached Puck’s truck, Santana exploded.

“She’s been _acting different?!_ Of fucking _course_ she’s been acting different! She’s being sexually harassed by her peers and bullied by members of her own fucking team!” She roared, kicking the wheels of the beat up Tacoma.

“Oi! Lay off the truck! Hit fish lips if you need to hit something!” Puck snarled, dragging her away from his baby.

“First of all, no. Don’t hit me.” Sam pleaded. “And second, what the hell are you talking about?”

“Rachel asked us to keep the bullying as quiet as possible. And then when we finally tell an adult because it’s getting out of hand, he _asks what’s going on with her_. If she were Kurt or Finn, he probably would have yelled and kicked all the way to Figgins’ office, but he probably thinks she’s just being a drama queen.” Santana snarled. She was losing control.

“Get in the truck, San.” Puck ordered as Santana’s eyes started to glow a bright yellow. “You’re mad, you’re going to shift. Get in the truck so we can go for a run.”

She yanked the door open (and almost off its hinges) and threw herself into the truck. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to contain her fury.

“You coming, Evans?”

Sam looked up at him in surprise. “Uh, yeah sure.”

“Hop in next to San. There’s a nature preserve a couple blocks from the apartment. We go there to run a couple times a week.” He skirted around to the drivers’ side.

They drove in silence for a few minutes. The only noises were ragged exhalations from Santana as she fought for control. “Everyone described Glee as the Rachel Berry show. That’s not true, is it?”

Puck’s hands tightened on the wheel. “She has her moments. But it’s mostly for show. She works really hard to keep any negative attention away from us.” He ground out.

“She’s a really good Alpha.” Sam said softly.

“The fucking best.” Santana hissed.

Sam examined Puck. “Stop staring at me, Evans. I don’t swing that way.”

He snorted. “Even if I did swing that way, you’d be last on my to-do list, Puckerman. Nah, I was just thinking.”

“Did it hurt?”

“You love her.”

He was going to break the steering wheel in half. “Yep.”

“Why did you stop dating her last year?”

“Quinn. I got Quinn pregnant. And I wanted to be there for my kid.”

“What about now?”

“Now she’s hung up on Saint Finn. Before, she was hung up on this kid Jesse from Vocal Adrenaline. She’s convinced that they’re what she wants.”

“But you don’t agree.”

“Hell no.” He growled. “They treat her like crap.”

“She loves you.” He paused. “And Mike and Matt.”

Puck stayed silent. Santana turned to him. “They know.”

“And they love her, too.” Santana nodded. “Then why…”

“She has some stupid stereotypical idea about how love should be. That and she doesn’t want to mess up the pack dynamic.” She rolled her eyes. “What she doesn’t realize is that making out with Finn? **Really** fucks with the pack dynamic. It’s like someone’s punched them in the scrotum every time she puckers up.” After a moment she added, “It’s pretty bad for Glee, too. They’re on again/off again drama is super distracting. It makes Britt physically dizzy.”

“That’s gotta be stressful.”

“This an argument we’ve been having with her for literally three years. Crazy-ass midget won’t hear a fucking word of it.”

When they got to the trailhead of the nature preserve, Sam saw Matt and Rachel’s wolves for the first time. She was sleek and chocolate brown with white paws and a single white tuft on her chest. Matt was fluffy. Sam choked on laughter. Santana gave him a curious look.

“What?”

“He’s so…”

“Ah. Yes. The fluff. The fluffinator. Fluffy McCurlieCue.” She snickered. “He _hates_ that shit. Thinks it’s embarrassing. But hey, he’s a world class cuddler.”

They clambered out of the truck and before shedding their clothes, barely blocked from the road by Puck’s truck.

“Yo, I’m going to head back to the apartment to get some homework done. I’ll make dinner.” Mike smiled. “Mind if I take your truck, Puck? More people can fit in the X-Terra.”

“Sure man.” Puck pulled his keys from his pants pocket and tossed them to Mike before stripping down. Sam awkwardly disrobed, body turned away in discomfort. “Word to the wise, Sammy. Don’t bother with modesty. We’ve all seen each other naked. If you’re gonna start running with us, we’ll see you naked, too.” He snickered. Sam blushed. Rachel trotted over to Puck and nuzzled his leg. He stared down at her, eyebrows raised. “You’re not mad?”

She nipped him gently. He took it as a ‘no’.

He shifted and gently butted heads with her. Matt followed suit and gently nipped her ear. Santana motioned for Sam to follow before motioning Mike over to her. “Sup Snix?”

“Mr. Shue asked why Rachel’s been acting weird.” She muttered, glancing around to see if her Alpha was paying attention. She was busy wrestling with Matt. “Since you’re not coming anyways, think you could go set him straight before you start your homework? She needs an adult in her corner.” She nibbled on her lip. Mike grasped her hand.

“I’ll head back to the school now. Keep her busy for a few hours. I’ll make Lasagna when I get back.”

Santana wrinkled her nose. “Vegan lasagna? Please no.”

“After today’s run?” He laughed. “Nah, full carnivore baby.”

Santana squeezed his hand, then let go. “Thanks Mikey.” She murmured, kissing him on the cheek.

She turned to step away and shift, but he caught her by the arm. “Hey, are you okay? You’ve been a little fidgety this week.”

“Just have some things on my mind. Some shitty things that I’m trying to fix.” She smiled at him. “No worries.”

“We’re a pack. We can hardly expect Rachel to come to us if we won’t even come to each other.” He gazed at her with concerned eyes. “Can I help?”

“Not this time. Trust me, if I could take your help on this, I would.” She sighed. “I promise I’ll tell you if I need it though.”

He nodded and dropped her arm. She shifted. Her body was larger than Rachel’s but still half as tall as Puck. She was dark grey—almost black. At night, the only way to spot her was to see her golden eyes peering through the dark. She darted off to join the rest, barking as she tore off into the park. Rachel yipped and streaked after her. The three boys followed shortly after, giving the girls a head start. Mike was hardly surprised that Sam’s wolf form was snowy white from nose to tail. He _was_ surprised by how big he was. He was almost as big as Puck.

He watched them disappear into the woods before hopping into the truck. Time to tear into Scheuster.


	9. Get it Right

Mike pulled into the school parking lot, noting with relief that Schue hadn’t left yet. He made his way to the choir room, thinking about what he was going to say.

He walked into the room just as Schue was prepping to leave. “Hi.” He said quietly. Will looked up at him in surprised.

“Hey Mike. I thought everyone left. Do you need something?”

“Yeah, actually. I need to talk to you about Rachel.” He set his jaw and squared his shoulders. “Santana and Puck told me you asked them about what’s going on with her. That she’s acting out and ‘not pulling her weight’.”

He nodded, confused. “She’s been quiet with practice, and lately Finn has been putting in all the work. I don’t think she even tried to recruit anyone new. She actually might have made people afraid to join with her whole stunt with Sunshine.” He sighed. “I’m pretty disappointed in her.”

“Well you need to stop that. Because everything you just said—except for maybe the Sunshine thing—was total crap.” Mike gritted out.

“Mike…you really can’t talk to me like that.”

“But you’re allowed to verbally abuse Rachel? She gets enough shit from her peers, Mr. Schue. She shouldn’t have to take it from you too.” Mike insisted. “The reason she’s stopped outwardly contributing in here is because every time she opens her mouth, someone attacks her for it. Finn has done nothing. He didn’t help her pick out a duet. He hasn’t come up with any of the group numbers. Nothing. Rachel tells him her ideas so because she knows people like him and will listen to him. She’s bullied in here. A lot. And she’s bullied out there, too. You’re worried about her attitude instead of the fact that guys who are twice her size are sexually harassing her? That’s some serious crap. You’re a teacher, not one of her peers. You can’t pick sides. Your actual job is to teach and protect us all equally, and you’re doing a shitty job.”

“If Rachel was having trouble, she would come to me. She knows to go to teachers when there’s a problem. She got Sandy Ryerson fired and she threatens Figgins on a daily basis.”

“She doesn’t _trust authority_. She has been slushied _in front_ of teachers and they’ve turned a blind eye. She’s firmly of the opinion that they either don’t give a fuck, or they just can’t help.” He looked at his teacher in disappointment. “You were supposed to be different. You’re the one who’s supposed to be able to see us for who we really are. Rachel has been my best friend for _years_. She’s an amazing person, but you only call her out when she does something bad. You completely look over her better qualities. The only thing she spends more money on than post-slushy dry cleaning is on Kleenex.”

“Mike…since when are you Rachel’s friend? You didn’t even talk to her before you joined Glee. I’m actually pretty sure you’ve slushied her before.”

“Yeah, I have. She told me to.” Mike snarled. Since he clearly wasn’t willing to stay on topic, maybe he could get a little reality check instead. “Rachel has been friends with Matt, Santana, Puck and I since we were five. When we got to high school and she wasn’t a Cheerio or in athletics, she told us not to talk to her in public so that we wouldn’t take any heat for being friends with her. That first slushy? The first one ever thrown at McKinley? Puck was walking into school with her and one of the senior football guys called her a freak. Before Puck could defend her, she yanked on his arm. He was holding a slushy and it tipped all over her. And then she pulled out the crazy diva act and went off on him before running away to put on her gym clothes. She took a bullet for us. Besides, she doesn’t need to be a good person to deserve to not get bullied. Even if she weren’t all those things, she’d still deserve your protection.”

Will just stared at him in surprise. Then shook his head and said: “Look, Rachel may have done all of those things, but in here, she’s not a team player. If I’m hard on her, it’s because she needs to work with the group, not against it. It’s actually not my place to intervene in your personal affairs.”

Mike’s jaw tightened. “Fine. But either you don’t intervene at _all_ —and that means no commenting on Rachel’s personality or on why she’s having an off week—or you intervene _equally_. The second I feel like you’re playing favorites and taking sides, I’m quitting. San, Puck and Matt will quit, too. And just for good measure, we’ll tell her dads what’s been going on here. Because they don’t know. She wants to deal with everything herself. But we’ve decided that we’re not letting her be alone anymore. So ball’s in your court, Mr. Schue. You’re either an equal opportunity meddler, or you’re not involved at all.”

Before Will could get in another word, Mike spun on his heel and strode from the room.

* * *

 

The next morning, Finn approached Rachel’s locker slowly. “Hey.” He muttered, propping himself against the adjacent locker.

She glanced at him, pulling her binder from her locker. “Hi.”

“Look, I’m sorry for the shit I said yesterday. I get insecure when Puck and Santana are involved. They’ve both been pretty awful. _Especially_ to you. I guess I just don’t get it.”

She internally grimaced, disliking any apology that started with dissing San and Noah. “They’ve decided to be friends with me, Finn. Mike and Matt, too. I’m not willing to give that up.”

“I know. And I get it. But I’m not going to sit around and listen to Santana insult me. And I don’t really feel comfortable with you hanging out with Puck alone.”

“You also can’t dictate how I spend time around my friends. You’ll just have to trust that I won’t do anything to hurt you.”

“It’s not you I don’t trust.”

“Well get over it! You said it yourself, no one likes me. I’m not sacrificing friendships because you’re insecure.” She snapped. “Now either quit it, or don’t talk to me.”

Finn fell silent, glaring at the back of her head as she rummaged around her locker. Then, one of the Cheerios strolled past her locker. “Hey pedo-bait, you forgot to shave your mustache this morning.” The random blonde sneered as she passed. The girl walking next to her piped up: “You actually kinda look like the Middle-eastern dictator that your Gleeks say you are.” They high fived as they walked away, casting smug glances behind them as they went. Finn snickered.

Finn. Snickered.

“I’m sorry, did that sound funny to you?” Santana materialized out of nowhere. “ I sure as hell didn’t. I’m putting her at the bottom of the pyramid effective immediately.”

Finn was fighting to keep the amusement off his face. Rachel wanted to cry. She quietly took her last book from her locker and shut it. Then she turned and walked to class with her head down.

“Damn. You’re toxic. Stay the hell away from her Michelin Man.” Santana snapped before running after Rachel. “B! Wait up! I need to talk to you!”

Rachel slowed just enough for Santana to catch up to her. “We can talk after class. We’re gonna be late.”

“No, there won’t be enough time between periods. Meet me in the choir room at lunch?” She reached to tilt Rachel’s chin up. “Are you okay? That was a dick move.”

“It’s fine. I need to go. I have Algebra with Noah.” She gave Santana a tight smile. Santana reluctantly let her go and stepped back, watching as she melted into the crowd.

“Morning Santana.” Her head snapped to the side. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you. You kinda spaced out.” Sam smiled down at her. After the run yesterday, Sam had departed to help his two younger siblings with their homework, leaving the pack to its drama and chaos. “How did Mike’s chat with Schue go?”

She blushed. “You heard that, huh?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I’m glad I’m getting all the information. If I’d stuck to Finn and Quinn like I intended, I wouldn’t have really seen what’s happening.”

She shrugged. “B’s abrasive. But she’s good people. I’m tired of people acting like she’s the worst. Especially since she’s done _so much_ for me and I’ve just been shitty in return.”

“Like what?”

“When I was still young and out of control, I attacked one of my neighbors in the middle of the night. My mom had left, so she wasn’t there to reign me in or teach me how to be what I am. When I woke up the next day, my dad yelled and screamed and just…generally freaked out. So I ran away. I was ashamed. I tried to make it on my own in that park. I just shifted and lived as a wolf cub for like…a month and a half. Rachel’s the one who found me. But she didn’t try to make me shift back. She just brought me food and told me that when I was ready, I could come stay with her and learn how to control myself. But until I was ready, she would just let me talk and bring me food. Then she brought me home and told her dads what was up. They came to an agreement with my dad—who was worried sick, by the way—and I’ve been living with her ever since.”

“How old were you?”

“Eight.”

“Damn. That’s a lot for an eight year old to deal with.”

“That’s why Rachel’s alpha. She’s not the biggest or the most vicious. But she gets shit done and makes sure that we’re always okay. She puts us first all the time. No matter what.” She sighed. “And I couldn’t do the same thing for her.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean…you’ll hear about it tomorrow. Because I’m done keeping shit from her. I owe her more than that.” She blew out a long breath. “I just hope she still wants me after.” She glanced at him. “Gotta get to class.” She muttered before walking away.

Sam stared after her. _This pack is fucking intense._ He shook his head and headed to his class.

* * *

 

At lunch, as promised, Rachel met Santana in the choir room. The Cheerio was folded quietly into one of the seats, studying the floor intensely. Rachel’s stomach coiled with dread. Santana, as a rule, was never quiet.

“What did you want to talk to me about?”

Santana jerked violently, as though she hadn’t heard Rachel coming. Rachel’s frown deepened. Santana _never_ let her guard down. “Um…” Santana also never said ‘um’. “Why don’t you sit down, B. I have something to tell you.” Cautiously, Rachel sat, staring intently at her second who was avoiding eye contact at all times. “I want to preface this by telling you that I am _so sorry_ , and I’m _especially_ sorry that I didn’t tell you sooner. But I need to get it all out, so don’t interrupt, okay?” Rachel gestured to her to continue.

Santana picked at her nails for a moment, trying to find the words. Finally, she steeled herself and looked Rachel dead in the eye. “He was supposed to tell you, and I was waiting for him to do it, because he’s your boyfriend and he’s supposed to be honest with you.”

“San…”

“You promised to let me finish.” She insisted. Her voice was wavering, and Rachel frowned. Santana was _upset_. And **_nervous._** “During Madonna week, when Finn thought you were going to have sex with Jesse…well, he came to me.”

“He already told me that. He said he didn’t go through with it.”

“Rachel…” She took a deep breath. “Rachel, he lied.” A tear found its way out of tear ducts that Rachel was _sure_ Santana had cemented shut. “We slept together. And I know I shouldn’t have, and I’m _so sorry_ for not telling you. I was hoping that he would be a good guy and tell you the truth. It was Sue’s mission for me, and I wanted to stay on the Cheerios, and—being completely honest—I was _so angry_ with you for dating Jesse and asking _Puck_ for advise on how to sleep with him. But I felt awful after. I was miserable because I knew I betrayed your trust, but he said he should be the one to tell you. Then he lied to you about it and said it was because you wouldn’t trust him otherwise and I shouldn’t say anything because he made you happy. I was so _guilty_ , and you really did seem happy for a while and I couldn’t screw that up.” Santana was now issuing the tiniest but most _alarming_ hiccupping sobs Rachel had ever heard. “Then you let me start hanging out with you again and I realized how _shitty he is_ to you and how you take it on the chin because he’s got you thinking that he’s the best you deserve and I _snapped_. This is me snapping.” She sniffed. “You deserve better than him, and you definitely deserve better than me.”

Rachel stood abruptly and Santana hung her head in resignation. She deserved whatever she was about to get.

“I love you.”

Santana’s head snapped up to meet Rachel’s furious eyes. “What?”

“You heard me. I love you. I love you for getting angry on Puck’s behalf. I love you for knowing what you did was wrong. I love you for looking out for me. I love you for taking matters into your own hands. I love you for telling me the truth. I love you. I _do not_ deserve better than you. You are the best second I could ever have asked for. I appreciate you giving Finn the chance to come clean, and then for biting the bullet when—I assume—he refused. I. Love. You.” She folded Santana into a awkwardly placed but monstrously tight hug. “And don’t you forget it.”

Santana just blinked at her, unsure of how to proceed. “I didn’t prepare for that response.”

“Good. I like keeping you on your toes.” Rachel smiled. “Now. I don’t date liars. Jesse was a liar. That turned out horrendously.”

Santana grinned widely. “What’re you gonna do?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will be taking a hiatus for NaNoWriMo. If anyone would like to edit my non-fanfiction work, I would deeply appreciate the help.


	10. Relationships and Rebounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rachel confronts Finn. Santana urges her to do something naughty. Rachel does something naughty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this chapter contains sexual content. However, this chapter isn't entirely sexual content. It's pretty obvious when the screwing starts, so if you don't like it, please feel free to skip past it. Also: it's been a while since I've written anything smutty, so if you have any notes, I'd really appreciate them! Enjoy!

“You _lied_ to me.” Rachel was tempted to snarl, but had defaulted to her kicked puppy voice instead. Her lip quivered and her voice echoed in the empty choir room—a broken whimper. “You told me you didn’t go through with it.”

“I didn’t want to hurt you, Rach!” Finn pleaded. “You have to understand…”

“I do understand. You didn’t have enough faith in me to be honest. But you slept with _her?_ You don’t even like her Finn.”

“You don’t like her either, but you’ve been hanging around her all week.” He snapped.

“That’s why you didn’t want her to be friends with me.” A tear escaped her eye. Being able to cry on command was _such_ a useful skill. “You didn’t want me to find out that you’d slept together.”

“And I obviously made the right decision.” He sneered angrily. “She obviously told you to hurt you. Maybe now you’ll listen to me and _stop hanging out with her. **”**_

Rachel stared at him incredulously. “This isn’t about _her_. This is about us. You lied to me Finn. I don’t date liars.” She hiccupped a small sob. “My friendship with her is no longer your business.”

“Rachel…”

“We’re done. Goodbye.” And with tears spilling forth she let out another broken sob, turned on her heel and ran from the classroom.

When she reached the bathroom, she was scooped into Santana’s waiting arms. “I wish you’d let me come with you.” Santana whispered into her hair. “I’m sorry you had to do that alone.”

Rachel, finally feeling the weight of the actions she’d just taken, buckled and cried in earnest.” I’m so…sick…of people… _lying to me.”_ She choked out between sobs. “After all I went through to be with him, I just…”

“I know, Rach.” Santana cooed softly, rubbing her hand over the tiny brunette’s back. “It’ll be okay.” She pulled back and looked Rachel in the eye, a mischievous twinkle glittering there. “All you need is some hot and heavy rebound sex.” She smirked.

“I highly doubt that’s _all_ I need.” Rachel rolled her red-rimmed eyes. “But it’s not the worst first step.”

“Well you have three willing participants to choose from.” Santana suggested softly.

Rachel chewed her lip. “I don’t think that’s the best idea.”

“I do.” Rachel opened her mouth to protest, but Santana interrupted quickly. “As long as they know the deal, it’s okay. Rachel, they want to be there for you in any way you need. Just make sure they know. I mean, ideally you’d just keep them, but I promise it’ll be okay.”

“If you’re wrong, I’ll kick your ass.” She hiccupped.

“If I’m wrong, I’ll kick my own ass.” Santana promised. Rachel giggled. “That’s what I wanted to hear.” Santana pulled Rachel close again, stroking her hair lovingly. “It’s gonna be okay, Rach.”

“I just want to get through the rest of the day.” Rachel sighed, stepping away from her second. “I want to go to Calc, then to Glee, then I want to go home and eat a barrel of that awesome coconut milk ice cream you got me.”

Santana smiled softly. “Then we’ll do that.”

The pack went on overdrive protecting their Alpha. One of them was constantly there to whisk her away if Finn got too close or stand by threateningly if someone was holding a slushie cup. By the time Glee rolled around, Rachel was almost in a good mood.

She sat, sandwiched between Matt and Puck, with Santana behind her and Mike in front. Sam had opted to sit with Mercedes, since she’d decided to help him work on his vocal prowess.

She reached over to gently squeeze Matt’s hand. He looked at her in question. “I need to ask you for a favor later.” She whispered. He looked confused, but nodded anyways. Then she reached over to rest her hand on Puck’s arm. He was already looking at her. He raised an eyebrow. “Thank you for being my shadow today.” His eyebrow rose higher.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He muttered.

“You’re about as subtle as an elephant wearing a tutu.” She grinned. Santana choked back a laugh behind her.

“I’m a badass, babe.” He said lazily. “I’m way sneakier than an elephant.”

“You’re really not.” She smiled. “But thank you.”

He draped an arm around the back of her chair. “Anytime.”

“Alright guys, are you ready to sing?” Mr. Schue bounced into the room. “I had a great idea at lunch today. Two words: Rocky Horror.”

Puck blanched, wishing suddenly that he’d actually gone through with his plan to steal an ATM. “Please Jew god, no.” He muttered. Sam looked equally displeased.

“You know it has to do with Ms. Pillsbury.” Santana whispered. Rachel barely nodded, rolling her eyes.

When they finally got home (after an incredibly embarrassing rehearsal), Rachel pulled Matt aside. “This favor…it’s a lot to ask.” She started hesitantly. Matt stared at her expectantly. “I…l need to _feel_.” Matt’s eyes widened. “I was hoping…”

“Yes.”

“But you need to know…”

“I already know. Not permanent, not official, one time thing.” He rattled off. “Rebound sex.”

“I need you to be sure.”

“I’m sure.” He grasped her shoulders. “I’ll take anything you give me.”

Somewhere deep down that troubled her, but she was clouded by overwhelming affection and gratitude. “Thank you, Matt.”

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Literally any time.” He smiled. “Tonight?” She nodded. “Then I’ll see you after practice.”

“I’ll have dinner ready when you guys get back.” She retreated, but Matt stopped her.

“Why me?”

Rachel stopped, considering his question seriously. “Puck would never let it go. Of the three of you, he’s the most likely harangue me for something more. Mike, too, except Mike would just look constantly wounded. You’re our grounding factor. The most reasonable and level headed. The sweetest and most understanding. That’s what I need.”

He nodded. “I’ll be honest, I’m still hoping I can convince you.”

“But you won’t do it while I’m wounded.” She shrugged. “I’m wounded right now.”

“I know.”

“Alright suckers, I’m off to practice.” Santana proclaimed as she waltzed into the hallway. She gave them a knowing glance. “Don’t eat all the ice cream while we’re out.”

“Of course not.” Rachel scoffed. “Now get going before Sue skins you.”

* * *

 

One by one, each pack member left until Rachel was alone in the apartment. A crude lasagna later, she curled up on the couch with her homework and waited for her night to arrive.

That night, long after dinner and the pack’s homeworking cuddle puddle, Rachel slipped into Matt’s room—the one he shared with Mike and Matt. During practice, Matt had asked Mike to stay with his parents overnight, and Mike had suspiciously acquiesced. Santana had dragged Puck into her room and demanded wolf-cuddles, claiming that without something warm beneath her, she couldn’t digest her food.

“Matt?” She whispered.

“I’m in bed.”

She climbed into the bed next to him, and he pulled her close. It felt so normal, just like any other time they had swapped beds or snuggled after a nightmare. The only difference was that she knew what was going to happen next. Her belly fluttered—with anxiety or excitement, she wasn’t sure.

Matt dropped a gentle kiss to the corner of her mouth, running his hands along her sides. “Are _you_ sure?”

Rachel, unlike Finn, had actually been telling the truth when she said she was a virgin. The entire pack knew it. Honestly, she wasn’t even sure what she’d been waiting for. Virginity, after all, wasn’t a measure of worth or of dignity. People fell in love with non-virgins just as much as they did with the most untouched. What was she waiting for?

“I’m sure.” She whispered.

He kissed her in earnest then, moving his hands to slowly remove her yoga pants. He took his time, memorizing the way every inch of exposed skin felt beneath his hands. She eventually kicked them away from around her ankles, and his hands slid up and under her shirt to stroke the underside of her breasts over her bra. She made a musical noise of approval in her chest. He chuckled. “It’ll feel even better when your bra is gone.”

Without another word, she sat up and ripped off her shirt. Patience was never her strong suit. Matt made quick work of her bra, dragging it down her arms and tossing it over his shoulder. He lowered her onto the bed and sat back on his heels, committing the sight of her spread out on his bed to memory. “You are so…” He faltered. “Beautiful isn’t enough. I don’t think there’s a word for it.” He breathed. She blushed and to his delight, the pink tinge spread all the way down to her puckered nipples.

He leaned down to taste one and she mewled in delight. He palmed the other breast, squeezing it gently. His other hand traced gentle patterns into her stomach, creating rippling flutters in her belly and spine. She moaned when he sucked and arched into his smiling mouth.

When he finally moved, he released her nipple with a wet pop and trailed kisses from her cleavage and down her stomach, settling on her right hip. “I’m going to go down on you now.” He told her. She quivered at the gravelly rasp to his voice.

“You don’t have to.”

“I do. I want you to be ready for me.” He pressed another kiss to her hip. “And I want this to be perfect.” He scraped his teeth over the same spot, and her hips jerked. She moaned quietly. “I want to taste you.” He growled.

She pressed her head into the pillow, squeezing her eyes shut. His finger was tracing the seam of her pussy lips, and she bit back a moan. “Just do…I don’t know, Matt, do _anything_.” She whimpered.

He’d been waiting for something—anything—from her for so long. His eyes were glowing in the dark—a bright beta yellow. “Look at me.” He demanded. Her eyes snapped open, burning her dark alpha red. He lowered his mouth to her slit and took a long broad lick, savoring her flavor and her deep, arduous moan. He locked his gaze with hers—hooded and wanton and licked again. Her hands clutched at the back of his head, trying to drag him closer. He chuckled, but bent to her will, burying his face in her pussy.

He ran his tongue around her opening rhythmically, running her his nose across her slit. She draped her legs over his shoulders, pushing her hips as far into his face as they could go. “More.” She demanded breathily.

He slipped a finger into her sodden opening, and moved his mouth to suck on her clit, flicking at it with his tongue while he stroked her inner walls. She was dripping, and she tasted sweet.

She was moaning somewhere above him, hips jerking tremulously and head tossing against the pillow. There was a tension building inside her—a thin thread being drawn taught. Her movements grew erratic, and Matt smirked against her soaked slit. He added a second finger, sucked harder, and reveled in Rachel’s delighted cry as she came apart beneath him.

While she came down from her first (ever) orgasm he climbed over her, nestling his hips against hers. He drew her in for a deep kiss, and she moaned at the taste of her juices on his tongue. “Are you ready?” He mumbled against her lips. She nodded hastily, pushing her hips into his and he let out a guttural groan as her pussy rubbed against his cock through his boxers.

“Take them off, Matt.” She insisted. “ _Please._ ”

He shuffled out of them as quickly as he could and released a desperate whine when he pressed against her, finally flesh-on-flesh. He pressed into her slowly, reveling in every inch of her warm, tight sheath. “Rach, you feel…” He broke off and dropped his head into the crook of her shoulder, kissing her neck and scraping his teeth across the heated flesh. She mewled loudly and bucked. He bit down hard with a startled groan of pleasure as the rest of his length slipped inside her. “Fuck!” He hissed.

He stayed as still as he could, pelvis moving minutely against her as she adjusted to the unusual girth inside her. “It feels so good,” she mewled, arching into him. He groaned and pulled out until only his tip was resting inside her, then slowly pushed back in. “You’re perfect.” He told her through gritted teeth. “I need to move faster.” His eyes were wild, burning bright in the dark. As soon as she nodded, he picked up the pace.

He found a steady rhythm, slipping in and out of her slick channel fervently. His body covered hers—he held her as close as he could, mouth sucking, licking and biting at every available inch of skin he could find. She was moaning, fingernails digging into his back and legs hooked over his hips, trying desperately to meet his thrusts.

He’d never heard noises more perfect than the ones that Rachel was breathing into his ear. He’d never been so jarred by an impending orgasm than the one he knew he was about to have.

Without warning, Rachel’s coiling orgasm snapped again, and with a delighted shriek her pussy rippled erratically around his thrusting cock. He followed her immediately, groaning gutturally as he spilled himself inside her.

He went lip on top of her and she reveled in the weight of him. She felt safe, warm, satisfied and utterly beautiful—precious.

After a long moment he flopped onto his side, withdrawing from her as he went. He pulled her close, and she snuggled into the hard planes of his body. “Thank you, Matt. That was…”

“Perfect.” He breathed, pressing a long kiss to the top of her head. He breathed in her scent, curling around her possessively with a satiated hum. “It was perfect.”

* * *

 

The next morning, Rachel rose early (as always). She carefully slipped herself out of Matt’s possessive grasp, threw her clothes back on and made her way to the kitchen to make breakfast and a pot of coffee.

Not half an hour after she’d awoken, Santana joined her, slumping into her chair at the dining table with a wide smirk.

“What?” Rachel asked suspiciously.

“How was your night?” Santana inquired innocently.

Rachel blushed. “Good.”

“Sounded like more than good to me.” She grinned. “I’d say rounds 2 through 4 were _excellent_.”

“Oh god.” Rachel groaned, dropping her face into her hands. “You heard?”

“I’m pretty sure the Queen of England heard.” Santana teased. “ _Please! Harder! Oh, you’re so deep…”_

“Okay! I get it!”

“Puck was mad jealous.”

Rachel peeked out through her hands, concerned. “Is he okay?”

“He’s fine. He parked outside the door to jack off during round 3.” Santana laughed. Rachel disappeared behind her hands again with a squeak. “Oh please. That’s totally expected behavior. Don’t pretend it’s not.”

“It’s still embarrassing!” Her retort was muffled by her palm.

“Only if you let it be embarrassing. You get yours, bae.” She grabbed a slice of bacon and munched on it happily, rising to pour herself a large cup of coffee.

“How am I going to look them in the eye?”

“By remembering that you’re the Alpha and it’s none of their business.” Santana shrugged. “And maybe by wearing a turtleneck. That’s one hell of a dental impression you’ve got on your shoulder. If you were a murder victim, Matt would already be in jail.”

Rachel’s hands shot from her face to her neck. “No more crime procedurals for you.” She snapped, blushing furiously.

“Yeah, you go ahead and try to keep me from watching SVU.” Santana scoffed. “Dibs on first shower. Go pick out an outfit without waking Puck.”

“Noah wakes up if someone sneezes in Alaska.” Rachel groaned.

“Then wake him up for breakfast. But put on a scarf first.” She winked and whisked herself away to the shower.

Rachel sighed and dropped her head to the table, praying for patience and strength.


End file.
